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Itinerary:
Day 01: Saigon Arrival – Fullday city tour
Day 02: Saigon – My Tho – Ben Tre – Homestay
Day 03: Ben Tre – Can Tho
Day 04: Can Tho – Cai Rang market – Saigon
Day 05: Saigon – Flight to Buon Me Thuot
Day 06: Buon Me Thuot
Day 07: Bun Me Thuot – Pleiku
Day 08: Pleiku – Kontum
Day 09: Kontum – Dac Me – Hoi An
Day 10: Hoi An
Day 11: Hoi An – Hue – Dong Ba – City Tour Hue
Day 12: Hue – Ninh Binh (by train 13.21)
Day13: Ninh Binh Arrival (02:25AM) – Hoa Lu
Day 14: Ninh Binh – Halong
Day 15: Halong – Dong Chieu – Hanoi – Overnight train to Laocai
Day 16: Lao Cai – Sapa
Day 17: Sapa – Market Coc Ly – Lao Cai – Overnight train to Hanoi
Day 18: Hanoi – Fullday city Tour
Day 19: Hanoi – Duong Lam – Hanoi
Day 20: Hanoi – Departure
A unique experience that will allow you to discover this country in an unusual way, by train and on foot! A great way to become acquainted with its inhabitants during the steps in the Mekong Delta, the highlands or in the Sapa area, and visiting local markets, very colorful.
Itinerary details:
Day 01: SAIGON ARRIVAL – FULL DAY CITY TOUR
Arrival at the airport. Meet your guide and visit the old colonial quarters, the central post office, market, outside the Reunification Palace, City Hall, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Vinh Nghiem pagoda. Overnight at hotel.
Day 02: SAIGON – MY THO – BEN TRE – HOMESTAY (B/L/D)
The boat will cruise along the Ham Luong river (a branch of the Mekong) and stop off at various local workplaces to give you a picture of how the local economy works, including a brickworks, where bricks are still painstakingly made by hand; a coconut processing workshop, where you can sample fresh coconut and see how every single part of this versatile nut is turned into food and other products; and a mat weaving house, where straw mats are woven using a hand loom – you can even have a go at weaving yourself!
The boat will then stop at a quiet village where you can have a short walk to experience real Delta village life, before boarding your xe loi (a kind of motorized rickshaw) and travelling into the forest where you can visit fruit orchards before stopping at a riverside restaurant for a delicious and filling lunch, featuring such local specialties as elephant-ear fish and river shrimp, washed down with some cold drinks or beers.
After lunch. You will then hop onto a bicycle for a fun ride through the forest to Mr Khanh’s house. He is a passionate antiques collector and his house is jam packed full of fascinating artefacts from Vietnam and elsewhere in Asia. He also has some fascinating family albums dating back to French colonial times.
You will then get back on your bike and cycle back to the family home where you will have a cooking lesson featuring local dishes such as chicken with lemongrass and tumeric and green papaya salad.
Day 03: BEN TRE –CAN THO (B/-/-)
08:00 Pick up and cycle to temple and market in Phu Nhuan (approx 1,5 hours). Back to homestay. It’s time to board a sampan for a relaxing trip along narrow canals. Take boat back to Pier . End tour at Ben Tre in the afternoon. Transfer to Can Tho. Overnight in hotel
Day 04: CAN THO – CAI RANG–SAIGON(B/L/-)
The watery world of the Mekong Delta is home to many bustling floating markets. This day, we take a boat trip and exploring the vibrant floating market of Cai Rang, where the trading way is unique; each boat usually sells one particular item, whether it be pumpkins, pineapples, sugar canes. After an impressive boat trip, disembark at Ninh Kieu quay then visit an ancient house in Binh Thuy 10 km from Can Tho city and Can Tho museum. Lunch at local restaurant on the way back to HCMC via My Tho. Overnight in HCMC
Day 05: SAIGON – FLIGHT TO BUON ME THUOT (VN1412: 0600) (B/L/-)
Arrival in Buon Me Thuot airport, you will be picked up and transferred to Yokdon. We have a boat trip in Serepok river,trekk in the forest and picnic lunch
Then we take the boat to visit Ede village, the coffee and pepper plantation before return to the hotel in Buon Me Thuot city. Overnight in hotel
Day 06: BUON ME THUOT – HO LAK (B/L/-)
Guide and driver pick up at your hotel. Drive to Lak Lake, on the way drop into the coffee plantations and peper gardens for sightseeings. Lunch at Lak lake restaurant. Walk around M’Nông hilltribe villages of Jun and Le. Elephant riding across the lake, boat trip (dugout canoe). Dinner. Optional: Enjoy the gong music dancing show with local wine drinking. Overnight at Lak Resort
Day 07: HO LAK – PLEIKU (B/L/-)
Visit in the morning the local market then drive to Pleiku. In the program: visit the villages of Bahnar people( Dektu & Dekrol) and visit Pleiphum village of the J’rai in Ia M’Nong where guests witness the community Rong house, the grave’s cultural. Visit T’Nung lake. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Pleiku.
Day 08: PLEIKU – KONTUM (B/L/-)
Breakfast. Drive to Kontum: a small and beautiful town in the Central highlands on the bank of the mysterious Dakbla river. And you will stop the village Konho Ngor Kơtu of the Banah and drop into the community Rong house. Lunch at local restaurant. Visit The wooden church inside the town, closely the church is the Orphanic Vinh Son where hundreds of children live, and the seminary of Kontum. Overnight in hotel
Day 09: KOMTUM – DANANG– HOI AN (B/L/-)
Morning departure to Hoi An.
On the road, stop to visit local villages and water falls. Arrival late afternoon. Check in and overnight in hotel
Day 10: HOI AN (B/-/Light Lunch)
Discover the city, blending old Chinese architecture, Japanese and Vietnamese. Cruise Thubon River and visit the village of woodcarvings Kimbong. Culinary discovery: the "Cao Lau" noodle soup. Introduction to the preparation of traditional dishes and tasting. Overnight at hotel.
Day 11: HOI AN – HUE – DONG BA –CITY TOUR HUE (B/L/-)
Cruise on the Perfume River: Thien Mu Pagoda (Heavenly Lady), the tomb of Minh Mang, Imperial Citadel. Walk the bustling Dong Ba market. Overnight Hotel Hue
Day 12: HUE – NINH BINH (by train 13.21) (B/-/-)
Free until to train station, leaves Hue for Ninh Binh. Arrival Ninh Binh at 02:25 am 13th day.
Day13: NINH BINH ARRIVAL (02:25AM) – HOA LU (B/L/-)
Early arrival 02:25am. Check-in hotel in Ninh Binh.
08am start tour. Visit Hoa Lu, made famous by the movie "Indochine" sanctuaries of kings Dinh and Le. Beautiful boat ride on the Halong Bay on land in the middle of rice fields, limestone peaks and natural caves. Bike ride to Bich Dong Pagoda. You will visit the village of Van Lam and his craft embroidery. Introduction to the preparation of goat pellets and tasting. Stay in Hotel Ninh Binh
Day 14: NINH BINH– HALONG (B/L/D)
Drive to Halong. Traditional junk cruise through Halong Bay. Lunch fish and seafood on board. Stops to discover the natural caves. Lunch on board. Dinner and overnight on board the junk.
Day 15: HALONG BAY – HANOI –OVERNIGHT TRAIN TO LAO CAI (B/Brunch/D)
Waking in the middle of the bay and continuation of the cruise. Return to Hanoi. Stop in the village of ceramic workshops Dong Trieu. Musical dinner in town. Night train to Lao Cai air conditioned sleeper (10am train).
Day 16: LAO CAI – SAPA (B/-/-)
Met up at your hotel in Sapa by local guide and then You first sneak through the market and leave the busy town behind. After a couple of minutes, you will follow a road going downhill to Cat Cat village. You will stop by a waterfall and a hydroelectric station for a while before you trek on a dirt trail through rice paddy terraces. You will also enjoy spectacular scenery while walking along a narrow river. You eventually arrive in Y Linh Ho village of Black Hmong minority, where you can take a rest while you are served lunch nearby the river.
After lunch, you head Muong Hoa valley. You will pass through Lao Chai village of Black Hmong minority and then Tavan village of Giay minority by following a very popular trekking route. You will spend the night in local house of Giay minority. You will be able to take a walk to enjoy the valley view as well as swim in the river nearby. Back to Sa Pa for a nite in hotel
Day17: SAPA – MARKET COC LY – LAO CAI –OVERNIGHT TRAIN TO HANOI (B/L/-)
Early in the morning, towards the Coc Ly market where minority ethnic groups find themselves, the opportunity to attend the sale buffalo, fruits and other local crafts by villagers. Lunch. Enjoy a walk on the surrounding roads. Back to Lao Cai by train berths conditioning to Hanoi (10am train).
Day 18: HANOI – FULLDAY CITY TOUR (B/L/D)
Early arrival. You will visit the exterior of the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, the One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature, the Museum of Ethnology. Tour by rickshaw through the streets of old Hanoi. You will attend a water puppet show. Dinner specialties: the "Chaca" fish. Overnight at hotel.
Day 19: HANOI – DUONG LAM – HANOI (B/L/-)
You will be picked up at 9:00 am at your hotel lobby. You will drive about 65 km from Hanoi to Son Tay province. Duong Lam is a purely agricultural village of the Northern Red River Delta. On arrival, you will take a walk on the village path to visit Mong Phu Temple (dedicated to national heroes). Meet villagers.
You will enjoy a special Vietnamese lunch in an ancient house. While you are in the house you can also join the local people in producing local specialties, such as soft green-lentil cake and rice cake filled with brown onion (depending on the season).
After lunch, you will continue to visit Mia Pagoda (built in 15th century) and admire 287 statues of all sizes, King Ngo Quyen Temple and King Phung Hung Temple. Before transfer back to Hanoi, you will be able to visit Son Dong village - The famous sculpt statue village in Hanoi.
Day 20: HANOI – DEPARTURE (B/-/-)
Transfer to Airport. Flight back
